Stoppering machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 2, 1958 s"\ m k O 2 5 6 ,MW f 6 w w 7 4 a M92 f f 2 m @A n PA M w K m E 7 m j F a 5 78 3 M 9 4 Y f l n f n l l I Ila, J 2X4. ,|,I m r V im@ Q MV Imi-wx J/ /l z 6 7 6 2 f 1 1 BY LKW-LH;

ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2, 1958 l R 5 m fm 2. m w 4 6 5 9 M.f 2 m QOH f m Z 2 A Il!! 0 a 2 m. l E D pc 4 2 6 3 4 d@ f. 2 2 2 2 22 2A 2; i ,AA/# 5 2 .f ,ff/,aW/r/ n Gan/ an 2 2 BY MV/4 ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent O 2,974,456 sToPPERlNG MACHINE Federico A. Parodi,Montevideo, Uruguay, assignor to Stabil Internacional SA., Montevideo,Uruguay, a corporation of Uruguay Filed May 2, 1958, Ser. No. 732,579

11 Claims. (Cl. 53-88) The present invention refers to a device forstopper'ing bottles with the so-called crown caps. More specifically theinvention refers to a device which prior to the application of the crowncap is adapted to remove the air present above the liquid contained inthe bottle.

In order to achieve this result the device is provided with a die ofknown type able to effect the sealing of the crown cap on the mouth ofthe bottle, and is further provided with a hollow cylinder adapted toform a sealed chamber above the neck of the Ibottle when the bottle ispressed to abut against the lower end of said cylinder.

One characterizing feature of the present invention resides in the factthat said cylinder which is adapted to form the sealed chamber isconstituted by such means that the resulting chamber is retractable andyieldable, so that the chamber is adapted to permit small sidedisplacement in those cases in which the position of the bottle makessuch displacement necessary when the bottle is pressed against thesealing die of thecrown cap. The invention will be more clearlydescribed through the following specification and with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a sectional view in elevation of a preferred embodiment of thedevice of this invention, which is shown in inoperating condition.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view in elevation of the same device of Fig. l,illustrating the arrangement in the moment in which the bottle which isto be stoppered is pressurized against the lower edge of the retractablehollow cylinder and the vacuum pump is started.

Fig. 3 shows the same device in sectional view in elevation,illustrating the moment in which the sealing die for the crown cap isoperating.

Fig. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the channel'ofthe'vacuum pump is located at a different place in the device.

With reference to Fig. ll, the device of the present invention comprisesa hollow cylinder or supporting member 1, made of a suitable metal suchas bronze or steel, having in its lower inner portion a screwthread 2 towhich is lixed the sealing die for the crown cap 3; This sealing die isformed in hard steel. In its` lower outer portion cylinderV l has anenlargment-A'which terminates with aV screw thread 5 to which isadjusted a ring member 6 `having, anvinner recess 7 and an outershoulder 8. To

said recess 7 is` fixed` the upper end of a helical spring 9made'of hardsteel, andfwhich extends downwards surrounding the sealing die 3.' Thelower end of said 'helical spring 9 is tixed within the'recess lllformedon the annular member-1l. Said member is provided with an annular groove12 where isiitted a ring 13 constituted of elastic rubber, the objectkthereof being discussed hereinafter. A tube of elastic rubber 14surrounds the helical spring 9 andthe ends thereof are adjusted totheouter shoulder 8 of the annular member 6 and tothe shoulder 11a providedin the annular member 11.

Theabovedescribed arrangement provides a retractable 2,974,456 PatentedMar. 14, 1961 ICC hollow cylinder adapted to permit lateraldisplacements of the annular member `11.

Within the hollow cylinder 1 is located a solid cylinder 15 made ofbronze or steel which terminates in arportion 16 having a reduceddiameter. This diameter is such that this portion 16 can freely movethrough a bore 17 provided in the wall 18 which limits the upper portionof the sealing die 3; the bore 17 has a diameter 2 mm. greater than thatof the cylinder 16 in order to assure a free passage of air between bothmembers. The upper cylinder 15 has a longitudinal recess 19 in order to`assure a free passage of air. The lower cylinder .16 terminates in itslower portion, in an inverted cap 20 which is fixed to cylinder 16 bymeans of a screw 2l. On the inner wall of this inverted cap 20 isprovided a screw thread for adjusting the screwed cap 22 having acentral bore through which extends the lower face of a permanent magnet23, the object of which will be discussed hereinafter. The wholearrangement is capable of moving upward when it is pushed from its lowerportion. The movement downward of this assembly is limited by theprojection` of the annular wall 18 of the sealing ldie, and the size ofthe assembly is such that when the same is in the lower portion of itstravel, the lower [face of the permanent magnet 23 is located at a levelwhich is placed slightly below the plane determined by the annularmember 11. The cylinder 1 terminates in its upper portion with rascrewed member 24 having a central channel and provided witharprojecting tube 25 adapted to be connected to the duct of a vacuumpump. l

In practice the operation of this device is as follows:

The assembly is lxed in place by clamping it to a supporting column (notillustrated herein) and it is mounted so that the device be disposed invertical position, and aligned with a raising platform (not illustrated)upon which the bottle already iilled with the liquid is placed. Thecrown cap can be provided by merely applying it upon the edge of themouth of the bottle or alternatively by placing said crown cap at theprotruding lower end of the central cylinder 16, wherein is retained dueto the effect ofthe permanent magnet 23. If, under these conditions thebottle is raised, the neck thereof will enter the retractable cylinder,and if the upward travel is further continued, a portion of the neck ofthe bottle will abut against the rubber gasket 13. If the upwardmovement is still continued, the pressure will cause the reaction of thehelical spring 9 whereby the gasket 13 will be tightly pressed againstthe neck of the bottle, as illustrated in Figure 2.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the upper portion of the bottle 26 islocated within a chamber tightly closed while the crown cap 27 is simplyresting upon the edge of the mouth of the bottle.. The inner cylinder 15and its extension 16 are resting upon the cap 27 and exert on said cap agiven pressure due to the combined weight of portions 15 and 16. Thispressure is of a great inmportance since when'a vacuum is formed withinthe chamber, said vacuum also acts within the bottle, and causes theliquid contents to boil. The boiling of liquid could result in anoverflow of the liquid contents, but this overflow is .prevented by thepressure exerted upon the crown cap which acts as a valve which impedesthe liquid to pass. The vacuum is generated by a vacuum pump which isconnected to the chamber by means of the tube 25. The

vacuum duct of the vacuum pump is provided with means for controllingthe connection of tube 25 with the vacuum pump and for controlling alsothe inlet of air within the chamber in order to permit the withdrawl ofthe bottle when the operation is finished. It was practically found thatthe necessary pressure to avoid overflow of the liquid is in the rangeof about 1 kg. This pressure can be regulated by Varying the length ofcylinder 15 and/or determined by the base of the bottle.

by providing a spring disposed between the upper end of cylinder and thescrewed member 24 of cylinder 1.

fOnce the necessary vacuum is attained within the bottle,

the platform upon which the bottle rests is further raised `thusattaining the position shown in Figure 3. In this figure it isillustrated that the raising was sufiicient to cause the sealing of thecrown cap by means of the sealing die. Under these conditions, thebottle was tightly sealed thus preventing the atmospheric air to entertherein. Once the bottle is stoppered, the vacuum duct is closed and theinlet of air is open in order to restore the .atmospheric pressurewithin the chamber. Then the platform is lowered and the stopperedbottle is withdrawn from the stoppering machine i In considering thepresent invention it is to be noted that it is practically impossible tomanufacture bottles which are absolutely identical since during themolding operation of the bottles contractions and other effects takeplace which cause the longitudinal axis of the container to be notstrictly perpendicular to the plane In the prior art of sealing crowncaps, the sealing pressure is exerted between the upper end of thebottle and the base thereof without any side pressure which could tendto deviate the mouth of the bottle in the moment in which the sameenters the sealing die.

If the cylinder wherein the neck of the bottle is located were rigid,the bottle would be subject to side pressures which could causediiculties in the sealing operations. On the contrary the device of thepresent invention shows the great advantages of relieving said sidepressure and this is due to the fact that the cylinder which constitutesthe vacuum chamber is yieldable. Fig. 4 illustrates a device having thesame features to those of the embodiment shown in the preceding drawingswith the exception that the tube adapted to be connected to the vacuumpump is located in the annular member 11 forming part of the vacuumchamber. ln this case, the upper portion of cylinder 1 'is tightlyclosed by means of a screwed member Z8.

The device of the present invention has been described hereinbefore as asingle unit. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art, that a given number of units can be combined and mounted on ayrotatable path provided with a plurality of raisable platforms so thateach stoppering device be aligned with the corresponding raisableplatform. To this end, it is possible to employ the known machines forsealing bottles, wherein each nozzle can be replaced by the stopperingdevice in accordance with the present invention. In this manner, it ispossible to form rotatable machines with automatic inlet and dischargeof bottles. Moreover, the provision of the crown caps can be eiectedautomatically in such a way that the permanent magnet present in each ofthe stoppering device can take the respective cap and keep it until thebottle is in condition to be pressurized against the sealing die. Thisembodiment is not specifically illustrated since it is understood thatthose skilled in the art can design a rotatable machine withoutdeparting from the essence of the present invention.

This invention is not limited by the preceding description, and thescope thereof is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A device for stoppering containers with crown caps under vacuum,which comprises a hollow rigid cylinder vertically mounted, closed inits upper portion and which terminates in its lower portion in a die forsealing a crown cap on the mouth of a container, a retractable,yieldable, hollow cylinder, the upper edge thereofbeing fixed to therigid4 cylinder by means of a vacuum tight connection, the lower edge ofsaid second cylinder being Y normally disposed below the planedetermined by the lower face of the crown cap-cylinder die, an elasticIubber gasket provided in the inner lower end portion of the retractablecylinder, adapted to form a vacuum tight chamber when said `gasket ispressurized against the outer part of the neck of the container to bestoppered, a slidably mounted bar provided within the rigid cylinder,for exerting pressure upon the crown cap when the crown cap rests on theedge of the mouth of the container, means for limiting the longitudinalmovement of said bar and Ia duct for connecting the inner cavity of thcretractable cylinder with a vacuum pump.

2. A device for stoppering bottles with crown caps under vacuum, whichcomprises a vertically disposed rigid hollow cylinder, closed in itsupper portion and which terminates in its lower end in a die for sealinga crown cap on the mouth of a bottle, an helical spring fixed to theouter lower portion of the cylinder, said spring ex tending downward andsurrounding the die, and which terminates below the plane determined bythe lower face of the die in an annular member provided with an elasticgasket adapted to form a vacuum tight seal when said Kgasket ispressurized upon the neck of the bottle which is to be stoppered, saidspring being enclosed with a tube of elastic rubber to constitute aflexible retractable hollow cylinder, a slidably disposed bar within therigid cylinder, and adapted to exert pressure upon the crown cap, meansfor limiting the longitudinal movement of said bar, and `an outlet tubeadapted to connect the cavity of the retractable cylinder with a vacuumpump.

3. A device for stoppering bottles with crown caps under vacuumaccording to claim l, in which said bar for exerting pressure on thecrown cap terminates in a permanent magnet which is disposed at a levelbelow the plane determined by the lower face of the retractablecylinder.

4. A `device for stoppering bottles with crown caps under vacuumaccording to claim 2, in which said bar for exerting pressure on thecrown cap terminates in a permanent magnet which -is disposed yat alevel below the plane determined by the lower face of the retractablecylinder.

5. In a device for stoppering containers with crown caps under vacuum, aretractable yieldable hollow cylinder, the lower end having sealingmeans for engaging in a fluid-tight manner the outer part of the neck ofthe container to be stoppered, means for ixedly supporting the-upper endof said cylinder, a die in said cylinder for sealing a crown cap on themouth of said container, the lower edge of said cylinder being normallydisposed Ybelow the plane determined by the lower face of said die,means within said cylinder Ifor exerting pressure upon the crown capwhen the crown cap rests on the edge of the mouth of the container, anda duct for connecting the inner cavity of said cylinder to a source ofvacuum. t

6. A stoppering device as recited in claim 5 wherein said means forexerting pressure is a slidably mounted bar coaxial with said die.

7. In a device yfor stoppering containers with crown caps under vacuum,a supporting member terminating in its lower portion in a die forsealing a crown cap on the mouth of the container, an axiallyretractable and laterally displaceable hollow cylinder mounted on saidsupporting member and surrounding said die, the lower end of saidcylinder having sealing means for engaging in -a tluid-tight manner theouter part of the neck of said container, the lower edge of saidcylinder being normally disposed below the plane determined by the lowerface of said die, and a duct for connecting the inner cavity of saidcylinder to a source of vacuum.

8. A stoppering device as recited in claim 7 including means within saidcylinder for exerting pressure upon the crown cap when the crown caprests on the edge of the mouth of the container.

9. A stoppering device as recited in claim 7 including a bar sidablymounted in said supporting member for exerting pressure upon the crowncap when the crown cap rests on the edge of the mouth of said containerand means for limiting the longitudinal movement of said bar.

10. A stoppering device as recited -in claim 7 wherein said cylindercomprises a tube of flexible material and wherein there is provi-dedspring means for maintaining said llexible tube in its normally extendedcondition.

1K1. In a device for stoppering containers with crown caps under vacuum,a supporting member terminating in its lower portion in a die forsealing a crown cap on the mouth of the container, an axiallyretractable and lateraly displaceable hollow cylinder mounted on saidsupporting member zand surrounding said die, said cylinder comprising atube of llexible material, spring means for maintaining said ilexibletube in its normally extended condition, the lower end of said cylinderhaving 6 sealing means for engaging in a Huid-tight manner the outerpart of the neck of said container, the lower edga of said cylinderbeing normally disposed below the plane determined by the lower face ofsaid die, a bar slidably mounted in said supporting member for exertingpressure upon the crown cap when the crown cap rests on the edge of themouth of said container, means for limiting the longitudinal movement ofsaid bar, and a duct for connecting the inner cavity of said cylinder toa source 10 of vacuum.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS MuhlkeJan. 25, 1944 2,614,739 Posott Oct. 21, 1952

